NBA playoffs: Heat dispatch Bulls; Thunder lick wounds, vow to return

CHICAGO — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined to win a championship. Well, now they have their shot.

The Associated Press

CHICAGO — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined to win a championship. Well, now they have their shot.

James scored 28 points, Wade added 21 and the Miami Heat eliminated Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday.

James and Wade were simply spectacular down the stretch, each scoring eight during a game-ending 18-3 run as Miami wiped out a 12-point deficit to clinch this series.

Now, the Heat are headed back to the NBA finals for the first time since 2006, and in a fitting twist, they'll be facing the Mavericks. Back then, with Wade leading the way, Miami beat Dallas to capture the championship. This time, it'll be James and Dirk Nowitzki going for their first rings.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant knows all about how the Oklahoma City Thunder were often tabbed the NBA's team of the future during a meteoric rise from league laughingstock to title contender.

All through this season, he didn't want to think about the prospect of success down the road. He wants to now.

"I think the pieces are here. We had a good opportunity to get there right now," Durant said Thursday, a day after Oklahoma City was eliminated by Dallas in the Western Conference finals. "A lot of people always put that tag on us as being young and 'we'll be OK down the line' and 'the future is bright.' We wanted to kind of rush the moments up and do something people didn't think we could do."

Durant said he still considered it "shocking" that Oklahoma City's season had come to an end.

The NBA's scoring champion the past two seasons, Durant had planned on playing into mid-June, and now he's not sure what he'll do with the next few weeks open.

"We wanted to end the season better, but we can't hang our heads at the year we had," Durant said. "I think it was successful as far as us growing and getting better as a group, everybody as individuals as well. We all wanted to get to that top level, but at the same time, we know what it takes to be patient, and we've been there before as far as waiting our turn. But like I said, it hurts that we didn't get to where we wanted to."

Just two seasons ago, the Thunder started off a miserable 3-29 and were on pace for the worst season in NBA history. After making the playoffs last season, this year's deep postseason run proved their status as a legitimate title contender.

"I just remember when I first got here and just how things are different and just how fast it became a great team and we've gotten better. It's definitely a tough road," said Russell Westbrook, a first-time All-Star this season who will have his first chance to sign a contract extension on July 1, if there is no lockout. "Yet there's still work to be done to get where we really want to be."

Oklahoma City can simply look at its West finals opponent to see how difficult it can be to make the next steps. The Mavericks have won at least 50 games for 11 straight seasons and are now in the NBA Finals for only the second time, still seeking their first title.

"I honestly can sit up here and say that Dallas being older is probably the reason they beat us in that series," said Kendrick Perkins, acquired from Boston in a trade deadline deal. "They weren't more talented than us. They just, in certain ways, they outsmarted us."

Those lessons can only be learned over time for a team that doesn't have a starter older than 27. Durant and Westbrook are only 22, while starting power forward Serge Ibaka and Harden are 21.

"It's something that we can look back at after a few days from now and say, 'Wow, we went on a really good run.' And we're a team that should improve and should get better," coach Scott Brooks said. "It doesn't guarantee us we're going to get back next season, but we have something to really fall back on."

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